Dov Charney in Portfolio Magazine!
A true ‘business character’...and I say that in a positive light. As I read through this article I couldn’t help but think like…‘its almost supposed to be like this, aren’t all successful niche brands helmed by a bit of a character like leader??’ Maybe thats just my opinion…and its important for me to disclaim that I do find some of the things he’s done to be offensive. Either way, I really enjoy reading about American Apparel as a company and how Dov has brought it to be what it is today…and Portfolio always has the killer interviews, so well done. They do a good job focusing on his work ethic, which as you might imagine is pretty intense. I like how he’s involved in almost every aspect of his business - the design, the branding, the plant floor, the health-care, the legal stuff, etc. He’s certainly not the aloof CEO…not the fat-cat. For example, he’s out on the streets of LA personally handing out fliers to hipsters and the homeless about job openings at American Apparel…have to admire that. This quote from him probably sums it up: “I do this every day. I do it on Sunday. I don’t even remember when it’s Friday. One day it’s Saturday, and one day it’s Monday. I just keep going and going and going.” I love how he calls himself an industrialist. Check out the article below. Big thanks to JVH for sending this over.